Billfold



Oct. 31, 1939.

R. N. WALLACE 2,178,0

BILLFOLD Filed Oct. 15, 1938 ATTORNE= I Patented Get. 31, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE Consolidated Rendering Company,

Boston,

Mass., a corporatipn of Maine Application October 15, 1938, Serial No. 235,187

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in billfolds.

The objects of the invention are to provide a billfold which may be economically fabricated as 5 an article of paper manufacture; to provide a billfold wherein the bill-enclosing compartment is susceptible of construction from paper stock; to employ a single piece of paper stock as the billfold receptacle; to provide a receptacle substanlO tially the size of bills and foldable at its middle transversely of the billfold and bills; to provide a pad in combination with the billfold and use the billfold as a cover for the pad; to utilize the attachment of the pad to the billfold for establish l5 ing the crease line for folding the billiold; to

provide for support of the pad without interfering with the full length capacity of the money compartment; to provide a construction enabling the parts to be conveniently assembled and of 20 inexpensive character; to provide a structure whichlends itself readily to an advertising novelty; to secure simplicity of construction and use; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

25 Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views:

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the billfold-respectively in folded and open position;

30 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the billfold with the pad removed for showing mode of attachment thereof; and

Figure l is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Igure 2.

35 In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing, the reference numeral Ill designates the backing in general of the billfold to which is attached a pad H by means of staples l2, l2. The backing I is preferably fab- 4o ricated from a single sheet of material, such as heavy cover paper or the like, so as to provide an inner ply l3 and an outer ply l4 folded longitudinally along edge l5 so that two plies will normally lie rlatwise together and be of substantially 45 the same size and shape with the integral edge 15 forming the bottom of the money pocket IS. The longitudinal edges of the two plies l3, I4 opposite from the folded bottom l5 are not attached to each other and accordingly provide a full length 50 opening into the said money compartment. The end margins of the juxtaposed front and back plies are secured together in suitable manner, as by staples ll next the end edges and parallel thereto. The money compartment is according 55 1y thus closed at three sides and left open at the longitudinal fourth side for the convenient insertion and removal of bills or the like l8 as indicated in Figure 2.

The billfold has in combination with the backing H3, pad H secured thereto midway between 5 the closed ends of the said backing. The attachment of this pad is by means of staples l2 which extend through only the inner Wall or ply I3 of the backing. These staples are applied on an imaginary line I9 normal to the folded edge I5 10 and parallel to the stapled end edges. By utilizing a pad which is substantially the length of the backing and inserting the said staples through said pad midway of its-length, the staples will establish the fold line for both the pad and the backing, and consequently the billfold as well as the pad will be folded at precisely the middle line of the billfold and will bring the opposite ends of the pad into juxtaposition and will bring the closed end edges of the backing into substantial juxtaposition with the folded portions of the folded edge juxtaposed and the folded open edges likewise juxtaposed. The construction will thus enable the billfold to be readily and properly folded to obtain not only a neat and even juxtapositioning of the folded parts, but will utilize the backing H! as front and back covers for the pad, when the billfold is folded, and thus protect the entire area of the pad. Nevertheless, the pad is readily available for use by swinging the backing open and likewise the money compartment is available for inserting and extracting bills therefrom when so desired. The pad affords reinforcement to the backing, thereby enabling the backing to be fabricated of relatively light material and yet not subject'to crumbling in use by virtue of the presence of the pad secured thereto and interposed between the folded portions of the backing. The folding of the pad likewise stiifens the billfold transversely of the backing thus 40 adding to the strength of the same and augmenting the reinforcing benefits of the longitudinally doubled edge l5 and the reinforcing benefit of the stapled end margins. I accordingly utilize the pad not only for its function as a means for making memoranda, but as a reinforcement for the backing, and utilization of the backing as a cover and stiffener for the pad as well as a means for providing a money receptacle. It is to be particularly noted that since the pad securing staples pass through only the inner ply l3 of the backing, that the receptacle or money pocket is substantially the full length of the backing and yet the sheets forming the pad may be supported at their middle part and thus have minimum length from the place of attachment to their end edges.

The billfold comprising the present invention is particularly susceptible to production as an inexpensive advertising article, and since the backing is fabricated from a single sheet of material, the exposed inner and outer surfaces may be conveniently printed with advertising matter before the fold I5 is made with all the printing on one side and yet when the fold is made the printing will be exposed at the outside of the billfold as well as beneath the last page of the pad. The construction accordingly lends itself to economic printing as well as economic fabrication and presents a durable but exceptionally inexpensive advertising article.

I claim:

A billfold comprising a single piece of backing material which, when alone is readily bent, said piece being longitudinally folded for providing inner and outer plies with juxtaposed outwardly directed open edges, and means permanently securing other juxtaposed edges together for establishing a bill-receiving receptacle closed at three sides and open at the fourth side, a reinforcing pad secured to one of the side plies midway of the length thereof, said pad and inner ply being secured by staples projecting from within the money receiving receptacle through the inner ply and through the mid-portion of the pad on a line normal to the open edge of the money-receiving receptacle, whereby the fold at the middle of the pad Will per se reenforce the backing and prevent the backing from bending transverse to the given line of folding across the receptacle.

ROBERT N. WALLACE. 

